1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to liners for nurser bottles. More particularly, the present invention relates to liners that are resealable.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Disposable liners for containing liquids are used with rigid holders to provide a clean, sanitary container for each use, instead of reusable bottles which require regular washing and sometimes give questionable results regarding cleanliness. Typically, a liner is mounted onto a holder by gripping the upper edge of the liner, drawing the edge over an open rim of the holder, and folding the edge downward over the outer surface of the holder. The liner is then filled with a desired liquid, and a cover, such as a nursing nipple, may be attached to the holder to close the mouth of the liner.
To further increase the hygiene associated with the liners, resealable closure members have been incorporated laterally or horizontally across the liners. In U.S. Pat. No. 6,576,278 to Sprehe, a nurser liner is shown having a continuous, elongated, profiled reclosable fastener disposed laterally across the periphery of the top portion of the enclosure area. The width of the Sprehe liner, and hence the length of the closure member, is in proximity to the diameter of the holder. In U.S. Pat. No. 5,385,251 to Dunn, a nurser liner is shown having a sealing member made up of cooperating projection members that are disposed laterally across the periphery of the top portion of the enclosure area. Similar to the Sprehe liner, the Dunn liner has a width, and hence a sealing member length, that is in proximity to the diameter of the holder. The Sprehe patent asserts that the sealing member can be used to assist in retaining the liner on the holder when the open end of the liner is folded back over the open end of the holder.
Such liners suffer from the drawback of being difficult to assemble with the holder. The lack of flexibility across the closure member or fastener, which needs to be pulled over the neck of the holder and the holder threads, and the close proximity of the length of the closure member or fastener compared to the diameter of the holder, make the assembly difficult. Often, the fastener needs to be stretched before it will be folded over the rim. This provides the risk of tearing, as well as requiring more handling of the bag and the added risk of contaminating the bag. Precious breast milk may spill and/or the bag may break from pulling it over the holder neck and threads.